Hi,
I was just recently diagnosed with ADD and have been put on Stattera. I am on my 3rd dose. I was given 5 18mg capsules to start with and a bottle of 30 25mg capsules to start takeing after I finished the 18mg capsules.

Is it normal to feel kinda light headed, and not have any energy?

I also had a BAD headache last night and could not get to sleep until 3:30am.

I just feel really weird. I'm winded too, like any amount of physical exersion is like running a marathon. Even something as simple as going up or down stairs and I have to sit down because I cannot catch my breath.

Any thoughts about this would be greatly appreciated.

A little light headedness is normal at first (as with any psychotropic drug), as are the problems sleeping and some lethargy - headaches are among the possible listed side effects too (all are only slightly more frequent with Strattera than the placebo - not common, but not unheard of).
Not sure about being "winded" but could that be a consequence of not getting enough sleep?
As your body gets used to the drug, these side effects should wane. You might want to take the Strattera in the morning, as this might help with the insomnia. The dose you are taking is fairly light, so you may not notice any great improvement in your ADD symptoms at first (or you might).
Generally Strattera works within the first week or two - expect to see results quickly once you reach the right dose for you.
Good luck,
Greg

This is great! I've only made two posts, and you people understand me. I am feeling a little better now, and am gonna stick with the medication unless it gets worse, and then I'll talk with the doctor should that occur.

I have to see him again 2 weeks from when I started it which was 3 days ago now.

I took the first does in the evening, but went to taking it in the morning when I read posts on here about it. The doctor said take it once a day so i take that as meaning it does not matter what part of the day, just that I take it once day.

So it went like this... I took the first dose about 9pm the first night. Took the second dose about 9:30am, and the third dose this morning about 8am...was trying to get my tail rolling! :D

I didn't do to well today and basically had to sit out of a college class and just laid in bed (something I HATE). I did start feeling a little better and went to a Tutoring Academy I go to for help with Algebra and really started to feel MUCH better then. I feel fine now, but man 'o man did I feel weird before. I mean I felt like at any minute I might fall down, and had absolutely NO energy. I'm not exaggerating at all when i say that. I felt like a toy that the batteries were totally dead on. I wasn't moving, and anything I did felt like it exausting me...it was scary.

I'm not one that you'll ever see give up though. I'm 37 years old and I've just been diagnosed with this and I'm still here ain't I? ;)

I'm normally very determined unless I get real depressed, then I'm kind of a basket case. I hope this place and the other things I have doen so far will help me. I really want that. I just hope things change quickly. I've used up 37 years, I don't wanna waste anymore. I think all of you out there can probably identify with that.

Thankyou for your help! That really means alot to me! :)

Hi Addrastic,
Welcome to the forums...I'm on Day 2 of Straterra, I as well felt weird yest.....I took my first dose after breakfast as my doc suggested & said to be sure to eat first...My b/f searched the net a bit for me & said to eat something with protien & fat in it...So i had a p-nut butter jelly sammich' for breakfast w/ milk & took the med about 9am ...I took a 3 hour nap yest from noon til 3pm...went to bed about 10:30pm...I was sleepy all day & felt kinda "winded" or "spent" myself...Kinda like I do after I've done a bunch of yardwork, raking and such....I 'm 39 & started treatment for Adhd at about age 35...I hope you have good results with this medicine & I hope I do too..I feel strange this am too. Kind of hyper but then not, It's hard to explain...just odd/weird. I didn't sleep to much last nite but maybe it was the nap...
tc & good luck,
rebecca

When I first started strattera I felt like I was buzzing on antihistamines, but it did eventually go away. Is that the lightheadedness referred to? I also seemed more prone to headaches and insomnia, which still persist a month after I started.

I was on strattera when I was first diagnosed at 44 last year. I felt very wierd for the first 4 weeks and then things started to get better for me. I was much more aware, but getting things started was very hard for me. I also had a lot of problems with plumbing. So after about 4 months I went to Adderall XR which works great for me. The info does say with Strattera it takes 4-6 weeks before it starts working. Remember each drug affects us all differently so what works for me may not work for you. The other thing is I am a male. Good luck to both of you!!
Jim

Day 2...Sleepy & laying around nappin' & feel like I took cold medicine...got goosebumps. Tummy hurts a bit & feel a bit nervous from the change, but i can see things clearly.

ty gym;)

YW! I did get goosebumps frequently. I did not have a lot of tiredness when I was on it. Everything bu plumbing issues went away for me after a couple of months.
Jim

I feel like $#!^ :(

I've took the last of 5 does of 18mg capsules, and have to go to 25mg cpsules tomorrow.

I feel good about 2 hours after I take the medicine, but only stay that way for about 4 hours or so.

After that, I'm drained...I feel like this >>> :sad: ...all run down, no energy, good for nothing, and can't do anything. :(

This is not what I signed on for.

I wnat to be like I was when I was very young...like this >>> :D .

A 4-5 hour day is NOT gonna get me anywhere, and is gonna cost me losing more than I alrady have. I'm already sick of it...I need to do something...anything.

If I don't do something and be damn quick about it, I'm gonna end up with nothing...no home, no family (which I don't have anyway), no money, and worst of all...no retirement for when I'm too old to do anything.

You people have a bright future, and outlook on things, but I have nothing, and have a very very grim future...I don't wanna be like that ANYMORE!

I'll listen...I proimise...what do I do...I fell so alone and lost. :(

To The Mods: I Apologize If My Language Is Offensive, but I need to get my point accorss. I am a Mod on forums in my hobby and other forums online that use the vBulletin PHP setup. I know that it is not appreciated on most forums.

Edit: The above is a prime example of what I just wrote... TOTALLY non-spelling...I don't spell that bad, or type that bad...i just can't function.

1st sentence should ahve read : 5 doses of 18mg capsules, and I have to go to 25mg capsules tomorrow. Doses is NOT 'does' ...that's the way I spell when I'm screwed up.

Please excuse the non-spelling.

ADDrastic,

See...this is why you started at a lower dose, then work to a higher dose. It sounds like your body is becoming adjusted to the strattera. Remember, with the meds, your brain is able to function without distraction - enabling you to do alot more than perhaps you've done in a while. That will tire you out. Lets see what happens after you've been on the 25 mgs for a while, ok? :)

Hang in there....Your future is as bright as any of ours!

Hi Everybody,
I've been trying to keep up with things and have been real busy, but I thought I better reply and tell you guys what's been going on.

I'm still on the Strattera. Most of the side effects have gone away except I now have been getting these chills or 'goose bumps' I've heard a couple people talk about. I'm not really cold, and when I crank up the heat thinking I'm cold, I get so hot I start sweating.

I've had a few issues with sleeping, then waking up, and that goes on all through the night.

I have to say though, that these are much easier to live with than what I was going through. I was good for nothing before on it.

I'm taking one 25mg capsule a day now (blue and white), and am starting to think that this may not be enough. I 'run down' too quick.

I am still battling with depression, and really want to do something about that part. It is keeping me from doing a few things I know I could be doing. I get down and depressed and just 'give up' sometimes, and then don't get the things I should be doing done, and that leads to more depression, because I know I 'should have'.

Things ARE going better though. I really appreciate all of your help and encouragement. You folks are fine people, and you do a great service to the world by helping others.

You just don't know how much that means to us folks still struggling. When I say that really means alot, that does not fully describe how much I (and I'm sure others as well) appreciate it! :)

I just wanted to put a update on here... I quit taking the straterra... I couldn't stand not sleeping and I was feeling afraid/nervous on it... Had a nasty taste in my mouth too...anyway i'm back on the adderall & I got some energy to do something... Glad it's getting better ADDrastic. Good Luck

I now know why they named it 'Strattera'. The out-of-pocket cost for one month supply was so sky high, it was truely 'Stratospheric'!
Seriously, I quit Strattera after 10 weeks mainly due to the side effects: extreme insommnia, & excess sweating (you get this from most ADD & anti-depressant meds.) & some 'sexual issues'. Also, it seemed to lessen in it's impact (helping concentration) after 8-9 weeks.
Along with that "Stratospheric" cost ( I was paying out-of-pocket: @ $390. per month), I just didn't think it worth the effort.
I was put on it to replace my Adderal XR, which I found had quit it's 'ommph'. At the time, my doctor described it as the first ADD drug with no side effects! That description I now find a little ironic!
Others have found success with it, & I hope that your experience with Strattera will be more positive than mine!
Good Luck!

Hi all, when I started I also had headacks for about a week or 2 untill the dosage was reduced.
Mrs Bulldog, I found that I couldn't sleep if I took the med's after 2 or 3 Pm . So I would take my 2nd dose around 12 noon 6 hours after my 1st and that realy ehlped me out. Also at 1st it will cause you to dream if you not use to dreaming from what the study showed. This was cause by higher dosage for me.

ADDrastic,

After reading your post, I just had to reply, if only just to say that you're not alone.

I just started taking Strattera two weeks ago (40 mg - don't ask the weight, I'll never tell). On the first day I felt just like you, severely depressed and lethargic. I had to take the day off from work and vegetate on the couch for what seemed to be about 2 hours. Now mind you, I'm the single parent of a 12 and 2 year-old and don't have much down time to spare and those durn pills were just too expensive to throw away so soon. Now since the same thing was happening on day 2, and since unemployment will definitely not improve depression, I started to take my dose at night before I go to bed. My rationale is that if I'm going to become lethargic, I might as well do it while I'm sleeping. Now I don't know if this schedule is the right thing to do (I asked my PCP and he gave it the seal of approval, but then again, he dosen't have ADD) and I haven't started feeling the positive effects yet (although I do get a good dose of cotton mouth and the "sleepys" during midday), I will, at the very least, finish the bottle. I hear it can take up to a month for the good side to kick in.

Hang in there because you never know what's around the corner if you stop mid-block.